Cherry Meringue's

Cherry Meringues

Sadly these treats are a same day consumption delicacy. But it sort of takes longer than a day to make. Don’t stress it’s just a little effort with loads of rewards.

You’ll Need:

4 x Egg Whites

Pinch of Salt

¼Cup of Caster Sugar

10ml Vanilla Paste

1 x Punnet Fresh Cherries – halved & stoned (Tinned could work too)

100ml Kirsch Cherry Liqueur

5ml Vanilla Paste

1Tblsp of Caster Sugar

Method:

If you plan on making them, start the day before with the cherries as they need time to macerate in the fridge overnight. Take the cherries and add them to a glass bowl with the kirsch liqueur, 5ml vanilla paste & the tablespoon of caster sugar. Stir till the sugar has dissolved and cover with cling wrap. Leave in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning take them out and drain them from all the juices, best way is to place a sieve over a clean bowl and to pour everything through the sieve. Press them down slightly to extract as much of the juice as possible, then set aside for later. Pre-heat the oven to 110 ͨc. In a mixing bowl whisk the egg whites and the salt to soft peak stage. Squirt in the 10ml vanilla paste and about a tablespoon of the sugar at a time, whisking non-stop till all the sugar is incorporated and you get to the stiff peak stage. Take a spatula and fold in the juice free cherries gently. Do not over fold as you don’t want to colour the meringue just give it a swirl of red.  Spoon large quenelles onto a baking pan covered with a non-stick silicone sheet. Place them in the oven for 1 hour only. While the meringues are baking, take the juices left from the cherries and place it in a small pot on the stove over a medium heat. Reduce till you have a syrup consistency then set aside to cool. Once the meringues have baked for an hour, turn the oven off and leave to cool in the oven. Serve each quenelle with a drizzle of the reduced syrup and some fresh or macerated cherries. They will keep well for a day in an airtight container.